Shadows of the Past
by channypop854
Summary: Chad Dylan Cooper- Hollywood heartthrob. Must have had a perfect life, right? Wrong. And when Chad's past comes back to haunt him, will he have to live in the fear he tried to run away from 5 years ago? Channy included! Rated T for abuse.
1. Trailer

**Shadows of the Past**

*******~Trailer~*******

**Chad had finally escaped his painful past**

"I'm leaving tomorrow and there's nothing you can do to stop me"

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"What, are you going to _make_ me stay?"

**But what happens when it all comes back ****to haunt him****?**

"Dad!?!?"

"Did you really think you could run away from me all those years ago?"

**He has no where to run**

**No where to hide**

**And Now the pain is hitting him****-** **Hard.**

"Will this help change your mind?"

"Dad...stop...please..."

**The only person he could run to for security was gone**

"I promise to never leave you"

---2 years later---

"Mom… why are you going? You promised...YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T GO!"

"Be strong, Chad. Just for me and I'll always be watching over you, no matter where you go"

**Can he find someone to trust?**

"Chad- you can tell me everything… you know that, right?"

"I'm sorry… remembering everything means living it again."

**Or maybe even love?**

"I trusted you Sonny Monroe. I trusted you so much that I may have even loved you!"

"Chad! I said I'm sorry!"

"Well sometimes, sorry just isn't enough"

**Find out in "Shadows of the Past"...coming soon to a computer screen smack in front of you! :D**

~~*~~

**Author's Note:**

**Hey Everybody! This is Mikki and Kaori! We'll try to get the first chapter up ASAP- please review and tell us what you think of the trailer- we can't wait for all of you guys to read the story! EEEEP!!! :D**

_**~Mikki & Kaori **__**^______^**_


	2. Return

**Author's Note: Well people! We're finally done typing this darn chapter (: Nahh... It was fun to write xD So for the people that were anticipating this story, we hope you enjoy it!! **

**Disclaimer: We do not own Sonny with a Chance or any of its characters. DUHH.**

**Shadows of the Past**

**~Chapter 1- Return~**

"Once Summer comes back to the Falls, I need to be free," Chad put a finger up to Portlyn's lips, "The time for talking is over..." He rolled his eyes at the extreme cheesiness of the line. Sure, the show was supposed to be dramatic- but really?

Chad turned to the director, Simon, and put a bit more of ego back into his words, "Chad Dylan Cooper is WAAAY too good to be saying these lines!"

Simon scowled in annoyance, "CUT!! That will be it for the day." The cast began to exit the set, talking loudly on their way out the door, leaving Chad alone with the director.

Simon turned to him, "Mr. Cooper, must you interrupt the scene _every_ single line?" Chad just gave him a silent glare, trying to keep his anger under check. Simon continued, "With your perfect life as an actor, do you really have to make all of ours so much more difficult?"

It was this that finally broke the shield of calm Chad had been trying to keep up, and he snapped back, "Just because I'm the star of Mackenzie Falls, you think I've had a _perfect_ life?! Just because you're my director, don't think you know everything about me!" With those final words, he stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked Simon behind.

~~*~~

Chad slammed the door of his dressing room shut in frustration. He walked over to the small table by his bed. His mom's framed photograph sat quaintly on top of it. He sighed and thought to himself, "Why can't you be here mom?"

He closed his eyes and let the fresh pain of his mother's death wash over him. He had dreamed about it again last night, and even though it was the millionth time, it was still agonizing. Tears would've welled up in his eyes then, but he'd already cried so much in the past, he'd almost run out of tears.

As Chad was caught up in his mom's memory, he didn't notice the creaking of the hinges as his door quietly swung open. He jumped as he heard a man's voice behind him, "Well, well, well- look who it is... "

Chad quickly whipped his head around to see who it was, and his expression instantly changed from sadness to panic. He could hear his voice go up a few octaves, "Dad!?!?"

Chad began to back away from the person he hated and feared so much, but his dad took moved towards him as he matched every step. Cameron David Cooper spoke to his son coldly, "Did you really think you could run away from me all those years ago? It took me this long, but I've finally found you. It was smart, I'll admit, hiding in plain sight."

Chad's voice returned to its normal pitch as he said, "Why did you want to find me?" His dad smirked as he detected the fear still evident in his son's voice. Chad suddenly felt his back hit a wall- he was **cornered**.

The elder CDC replied, "To take you back home where you should be. I'm not going to allow you to be rewarded for running away and defying me. Now... we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Chad was terrified, but retorted, "You know why I ran away. I'm never going back there."

He saw something sinister flash in his father's eyes, "Will this help change your mind?" And with that, he punched Chad in the eye- hard. Chad cried out in pain, desperately hoping someone would hear, but he knew that everyone else would be in the break room enjoying themselves.

He covered his throbbing eye with one hand, and with the other tried to shield himself, "Dad...stop...please..." His voice broke at please as painful memories came rushing back. He tried repeating over and over in his head, "Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't cry", but his eyes started to water anyway.

Cameron asked him again, "Are you coming with me?" Chad partly whispered, partly whimpered, "...no." And his dad's fist came swinging towards him once again, this time hitting him in the nose. Chad could feel a warm, sticky substance trickle down his face. He touched a hand to his face, and when he pulled it away, it was covered in thick, red blood. A few lone teardrops escaped his eyes because of the pain.

Chad didn't even try to mask the fear that he had previously been trying to hide. He cowered before his father, wishing a hole would open up in the floor and swallow him up.

Suddenly Cameron backed away from his son's shaking figure, "I'll be checking in everyday, for when you finally come to your senses and decide to cave in. If you tell a soul, you're dead."

He walked out the door, leaving a frightened Chad behind him. Chad unsteadily rose from his position on floor and paced over to his dresser. Shakily, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. His eye was swelling with black and blue and he could tell he had a broken nose.

Chad plopped on his bed and sank into the mattress, desperately trying to banish the fear he felt, and return to his 'CDC' mode. He could tell nothing would ever be the same.

~~*~~

Sonny happily walked down the halls of 'So Random!' heading towards the set of Mackenzie Falls. In one of their usual daily banters, she had sent another 'Fine!' text to Chad, but that was an hour ago and he hadn't replied. She kept insisting to her brain that it was just to annoy him and not because she just wanted to see him… although it was getting harder and harder to think of him as 'the enemy'.

She soon reached Chad's dressing room and lightly tapped on the door. Then, after he didn't answer, she began to bang on it loudly. Finally the door opened a crack and she could just see his one eye. (which deep down she thought were gorgeous, but would never admit it to herself)

Then her expression changed to bewilderment, because although she knew this was his 'sparkly eye', it seemed dim and distant. "Chad, are you okay?" Sonny asked worriedly.

Chad's expression hardened, "Sonny just go away- Leave me alone." And he slammed the door in her face. Sonny took a step back in surprise- What had she said? Something was up with Chad, and she was determined to find out what.

~~*~~

**Author's Note:**

**YAYYYY!! So did you like it, did you? DID YOU?!?!? xD Well Kaori and I will never know if you don't review! So please do . Or elseee... MWAHAHAHAHAHA Kaori will come to your house in the middle of the night and hack you to death. TEE HEE. (this is Kaori now- WHAT THE HECK MIKKI!?!?!?! Omg.... I will NOT!!!) Fine. My magical amazing stuffed animal Fru will come and... uh.... sprinkle sparkly poison onto your head if you don't review. SO DOO ITTTTT~!! ^^**

**~Kaori & Mikki =P**


	3. Discovery & Denial

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait!!! We should have posted this chapter a week from the 1****st**** one, BUT: The first weekend- I (Kaori) was in the mountains w/o a computer; the second weekend we both were too busy w/ a bunch of homework; and, this last weekend, I (Mikki) was SIIIIICK! So THERE! We have an excuse! xD But, anywho… here is the (hopefully!) long-awaited chapter. We made it extra long so that it was worth it! :D**

**Disclaimer: Do we seriously have to tell you AGAIN? No? Good.**

**Shadows of the Past**

**~Chapter 2- Discovery and Denial~**

**SONNY'S POV:**

Sonny winced as she heard Chad cry out again in pain. She pressed her ear harder to his dressing room door in a futile effort to hear what was happening. It had been a week since she'd realized something was wrong with her arch-nemesis/BFF, CDC. She'd tried to come visit him every day so she could learn exactly what it was.

A few days ago, Sonny had discovered an important piece of information- a time, actually. It was at about the same time everyday, at noon, that she would hear Chad's agonized moans from the other side of the door. She had taken to hiking over to the Mackenzie Falls studio and just listening, attempting to acquire even a fleeting clue as to what was going on.

Sonny had compiled a mental list of all the possibilities, and one idea in particular stood out. But who would be abusing Chad? And, why would they? Besides, Sonny tried to convince herself, there wasn't really any evidence for abuse… right? However, as the days wore on, she was having trouble sticking to that frame of mind. She didn't think there was anything else that could cause Chad so much hurt.

A sudden yell jolted her train of thought. That wasn't Chad's voice- who was in his room? The word ABUSE flashed brightly in Sonny's head, even though she tried to ignore it. Then, she jumped as the door handle started to turn. Panic washed over her; Chad, or whoever else was in there, couldn't see that she heard!

She jerked her head around and her eyes settled on a closet. Quickly, Sonny jumped in and (quietly) slammed the doors shut, leaving just a crack open. She pressed her eye to the gap and peeked out. A tall man, who bore a striking resemblance to Chad, stormed out of the room. Sonny caught a glimpse of his visitor's tag as he turned to leave- Cameron Daniel Cooper.

She almost fainted on the spot, but managed to stay conscious. Chad was being abused by… his DAD!? This was horrible! Her mind still reeling in shock, she raced back towards 'So Random!' once she was sure Mr. Cooper was gone. Why did it have to be Chad? Sure, he was nasty, arrogant, and unbearable at times, but he didn't deserve THIS! She would have to have to prove her suspicions tomorrow, once and for all.

**Later that day in the cafeteria…**

Sonny plopped down in her seat, and picked at the ick on her plate. Her lunch looked as bad as she felt right now… and that was saying something. She snapped her head up as she saw Chad walk into the cafeteria out of the corner of her eye. And, speaking of eyes, Sonny's hand involuntarily flew to her mouth as she saw Chad's - ringed with red (he'd been crying???), and one colored black and blue. It looked like he'd tried to cover it up with concealer, but it was just too bruised.

She saw him get his usual steak and sit down at the Mackenzie Falls table, absently poking at his food with his fork. Normally, Sonny would have scoffed- what did Chad have to complain about; He had a steak! But, she was 99% sure she knew what was going on. And it hurt her too much not to do something about it. She was going to have to tell Chad that she knew… somehow… Before Sonny knew it, lunch was over.

Nico tapped her on the shoulder, "Sonny, you coming?"

She shook her head to clear her clouded thoughts away, "Ya, thanks Nico."

She followed the rest of her cast mates and dumped her plate in the trashcan, noticing with disgust the growing pile if ick in the bin. Sonny shuddered inwardly. Then, her thoughts flooded back to Chad. If only she could talk to him… wait! She almost bonked herself on the head- she could catch him when everyone was leaving the cafeteria- duh!

She tried not to make it too obvious that she was waiting- pushing in chairs, arranging tables, tying her shoes, etc. Finally, she saw Chad get up and leave, trailing from the rest of the crowd.

Sonny grabbed his shoulder, wanting to get him alone, "Chad?"

He turned and muttered, "What?"

She paused for a moment, unsure where to start, "Why do you have a black eye?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because…I'm a nice person?"

Chad narrowed his eyes, "Portlyn slammed a door in my face. She wasn't looking at a script, so she did something dumb, as usual."

Before Sonny could say anything else, he had shrugged off her hand and walked away. She pondered what Chad had said in her head, and was skeptical- Portlyn wasn't dumb enough to slam a door in his face, and Chad wasn't dumb enough to walk into one. It must have been that his dad punched him… and he wouldn't even admit it to her! She would have to find evidence, evidence that even Chad couldn't deny.

Sonny walked back to her dressing room, formulating an idea in her head. _Tomorrow_, she thought, _tomorrow will be the day I find out the truth. _

**The next day…**

Sonny walked down the familiar route to the set of Mackenzie Falls, heading to Chad. She froze as she saw Cameron Daniel Cooper walking towards her. Did he know what she'd heard? Instead, he gave her a polite nod and walked on. She let out a breath. Good, he didn't know. But she couldn't resist glaring at his retreating figure- this was the man who was abusing Chad.

She kept walking towards his dressing room, silently both wishing and dreading that there would be evidence of this horrible crime against the blonde heartthrob. Sonny nervously opened the door, and peaked around the entryway… and gasped. Chad was curled up in a ball on the floor, clutching his sides in pain. There was blood, too.

Quickly, she ran over to help him, "Chad? Chad, can you hear me?" He groaned and didn't try to move.

"Chad!!!"

Finally, he whimpered, "Sonny?"

She let out a sigh of relief- at least he could talk. She gingerly helped him up to a sitting position. She could see that he had been sobbing, but Chad still kept an arm over his face so Sonny couldn't see his puffy red eyes.

Sonny rolled her eyes, "Chad, I know you're crying. You don't have to hide it."

He just mumbled, "CDC doesn't cry in front of anybody."

Instead of getting annoyed, and even though she was almost positive she knew, Sonny just asked, "What happened to you?"

Chad kept his voice monotone, "I just…fell."

"How'd you fall?"

"I tripped."

"How'd did you trip in your DRESSING ROOM?"

"Everyone trips."

At this point, Sonny was getting majorly ticked off. She felt her anger bubble over, and couldn't stop herself from saying, "Chad, I know your dad's abusing you!!!" For once, Chad didn't have a witty response. All was quiet.

**Chad's POV:**

Chad's eyes grew as round as saucers. He just stayed in shocked silence for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. No one was supposed to know! No one was supposed to find out!

He began to form another excuse in his head, but stopped himself. Sonny wasn't going to believe a word of it. Chad sighed, "Fine… you win. He does. Big whoop." He leaned against the wall and wrapped his arms around his knees, challenging Sonny to continue.

Of course, she did. What he didn't expect was the violent shaking of his shoulders she gave him as she yelled, "It IS a big deal! You're DAD is ABUSING YOU!!!

Chad couldn't suppress the cry of agony that escaped his mouth as his bruised ribs were jerked around mercilessly. Sonny's expression immediately changed from anger to horror, and she stopped to comfort him. If it were at any other time, Chad would have laughed at how her anger disappeared in a snap. But now, the he wondered if he would ever laugh again.

Suddenly, Sonny wrapped her arms around him, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Chad turned his head away so she couldn't see him blush at the fact that she was hugging him, "You don't have to be sorry, Sonny. There are people that owe me a lot of apologies, but not you." He could tell he had said the right thing when her face lit up.

After a moment, she said, "Friends?"

Chad smiled, "Friends."

**No-one's POV:**

After the truce between Sonny and Chad, they got along great. A few weeks passed, and the two became close friends. Chad was a bit more reserved than usual, and his usual spark was a little low, but he had Sonny to keep his mind off of the horror that was his life.

All the while, Sonny was trying to figure out away to stop Chad's dad from abusing him ever again. Every night, she would help him with his bruises, wash away the blood, and try to hide the heartbroken expression she wore because of this terrible thing happening to Chad. It pained her to see him so hurt, so helpless, and so broken… but she had to be there so she could try and pick up the pieces.

Naturally, rumors began to spread around Condor Studios. Why were Sonny and Chad spending so much time together? They were from rival shows! They weren't supposed to actually be FRIENDLY towards each other! They would have to do something to stop it…

**Sonny's POV:**

It was a sunny day in Hollywood, California, and Sonny was happily writing down a sketch in the prop house. She would occasionally laugh at her ideas, amused.

All of a sudden, she put her pencil down as she heard Tawni's voice, "Sonny? Are you in here?"

She called out, "Over here."

Tawni walked over and sat across from her, "Spill it. What's going on with you and Chad?"

Sonny inwardly groaned. She had hoped that this would never happen. "Um… nothing! Whatever do you mean?" She mentally smacked herself- waaaaaay too obvious!

Tawni grinned her signature Tawni grin, "Very funny Sonny. Now, SPILL."

Sonny was torn. She didn't want to lie to Tawni- she had never lied to anyone! She was the good girl from Wisconsin! - But she couldn't expose Chad's dark secret. After going back and forth, Chad's well-being won out, "Actually, I'm just his homework buddy. I'm helping him with math and…science."

**Chad's POV:**

Unknown to Sonny, Chad had just walked up and was listening outside the doorway, curious as to what the heck Sonny was talking about. He thought he heard… 'helping him'? Sonny wouldn't reveal his secret, would she? He really thought he could trust her! He listened harder.

**Sonny's POV:**

Tawni looked at Sonny skeptically, "Why are you helping CHAD?"

Even though it hurt to say it, Sonny lied, "Just out of pity."

What harm could it do for Tawni to think that she hated him? None, right? Well, what happened in the next few seconds proved her wrong. She heard a gasp from right outside the doorway, a gasp she would recognize anywhere. Chad! He had heard!

She could hear his footsteps thudding down the hallway away from the set of 'So Random!'. She immediately dashed after him, calling out, "Chad, wait!!"

**Chad's POV:**

No. Chad kept repeating it over and over. No, no, no, no. Not Sonny. He had trusted her with all of his heart, and all the while she was helping him out of… pity.

He heard her call out behind him, but he didn't stop. He didn't listen. He didn't want to see her ever again. He felt betrayed- how could she have USED him like that? How could she!?

He reached the exit door and ran outside. It was pouring down rain, but for once, Chad didn't care. He stood there for a moment, letting his teardrops mix with the raindrops; they both splattered on the ground. No one was around, and he felt alone, empty, lost. The tears on his face ran freely, but were masked by the rain. He had built his hopes up, only to have his world come crashing down again. Chad could hear that Sonny had finally had made it outside when the door slammed open and then shut again.

She grabbed his hand, "Chad, please let me explain!"

He snatched his hand away in anger and yelled, "DON'T SAY A WORD, SONNY. I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU DID IT OUT OF PITY!? HA! WELL I NEVER NEEDED YOU ANYWAY!"

He could see her eyes start to water as she whispered, "Chad…" but he cut her off.

"I trusted you, Sonny Munroe. I trusted you so much that I may have even loved you!"

In normal circumstances, Chad knew that Sonny would have blushed to hear him say that he had loved her. Now, she was too miserable to even care. A tear ran down her cheek as she fought to make him believe her, "Chad, I said I'm sorry!"

"Well sometimes, sorry just isn't enough."

Sonny's face turned desperate, "I promised that I would never tell anyone about your secret! I promised that I would always be there for you!"

Chad's expression darkened and he hissed, "If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that promises are made to be broken."

He turned from her and sprinted away. He blindly ran through the rain, even though it hammered onto his cold body. Where was he going? It didn't really matter. All he wanted to do was to get away from Sonny, his horrible father, just life in general.

Chad stopped as he heard the sudden screech of tires, he felt a pain that threatened to rip him apart, and then… the world went black.

**Sonny's POV:**

Sonny heard the car before she saw it. She wanted to cry out for Chad to stop, but she couldn't find a voice. His words had broken her heart in pieces. Then she saw the collision. The car had hit him full on, and his body went flying to the roadside.

Sonny screamed, "NO!" and raced over to Chad's side. The night she had found him bruised and bleeding in his room was nothing compared to this. There was so much blood, now… so many broken bones… his eyes looked like they were glazing over.

"No! Chad, I can't lose you!" she sobbed to the night air. Finally, Sonny came to her senses and whipped her cell phone out of her pocket, quickly dialing 911.

After a few rings, she heard, "Hello?"

She tried not to break into sobs as she explained the situation, "This is Sonny Munroe at Condor Studios… Chad Dylan Cooper… he was hit by a car."

"We'll be there as soon as we can. Try to slow the bleeding if it's possible."

Sonny hung up the phone and took off her sweater, pressing down on the wounds to slow Chad's bleeding. She looked up at the cloud-filled gray sky, and said aloud, "What have I done?"

~~*~~

**Author's Note:**

**Yay! It's done! Well… not the story, of course, that would be suckish- but the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! REVIEW!!! Or… Mikki's magical amazing stuffed animal Fru will reveal your deepest, darkest secret to the whole entire world! And then, your life will be a miserable black hole of depression where you will wallow in self pity for the rest of your meaningless life!!! MWA HA HA!!!! OMG… I sound so mentally unstable! (Don't comment Mikki…. xD) Can't wait until you read the next chapter- It should be up soon! Ooh! And we almost forgot… thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and favorited! It's recognition time! We'll probably do this every other chapter, jsyk. Anyway, thanks to: Sparkleinthesun, Animalcookie, fcktherulesx3, channylover808 (me!), SexiLexiReturns, daseyfanatick, Lovestoread95, xxPeaceLoveHopeMusicxx, Wondergirlxox, TheChannyWizard, beeheartsliam, CutiK9, discostickoshalala, smitchieaddict, Supernaturalchick85, DeanCastiel, monkey87, BananaBat16, black~roses, BoulderGirl1059, and Lightness2222**

**~Kaori & Mikki =**


	4. Panic & Pain

**Author's Note: OMG!!! WE ARE SOOOOO SORRY! Mikki and I haven't had time to write Fanfiction AT ALL! You wouldn't think 8****th**** grade would be this freakin' hard, but it is… and now they're doing re-runs of Teen Titans, which is one of our favorite shows in the world! Distractions, distractions… Oh wells- hopefully, we'll get the next chapter out SOON! Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: If we owned SWAC, do you REEEALLY think that Sonny would have kissed a PIG instead of CHAD in "Guess who's coming to Guest Star"???? And would Tawni have actually turned off the TV when Sonny was confessing her feelings to Chad??? Needless to say, we do NOT. ;)**

**Shadows of the Past**

**~Chapter 3- Part 1- Panic and Pain~**

**SONNY'S POV:**

Sonny felt it happen all in a blur.

Police sirens' wailing mixed with the honking of ambulances, creating a cacophony of panicked sounds. She heard her heart thud slow, but loudly in her chest. She saw them load Chad's body onto the stretcher. She wanted to cry out for them to be more careful as his limp form got bumped around while being slid into the back of the ambulance, but was afraid that she would scream if she tried to speak.

Chad had been hit by a car just minutes ago, and Sonny wasn't sure if he'd make it. She would never forget the hopelessness that she felt right now- just the feeling that she couldn't do ANYTHING to help him.

She looked up suddenly as she realized that one of the policemen was talking to her, "Miss? Are you all right?"

She managed a small high-pitched squeak, "Sure."

The officer exchanged a knowing look with his comrade, "Why don't you come with us to the hospital?"

This time Sonny could only nod. The officer helped her to her feet and led her to the police car. A vague flash of relief flashed through her brain- she would never leave Chad now. Then again, it was her fault that he was going to the hospital in the first place. She winced as that knowledge stabbed at her heart. As the thought of the hospital entered her mind, Sonny's shock shifted to panic. What if Chad died? The last thing he had said to her was that he hated her. How could she live knowing that?

Pushing her fears aside, Sonny stumbled the rest of the way over to the police car and wearily sat down inside. Soon her eyes began to drift shut, and the yells of authorities and the screech of tires slowly dulled to a soft roar. In a few moments, she passed into sleep, her stress driving her into unconsciousness.

**Many Minutes Later…**

Sonny's eyelids flickered open as she felt a warm hand shaking her awake. Groggily, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the face of the police officer that had brought her here.

When she saw Chad on a stretcher being lifted out of the ambulance, she quickly exited the car and rushed over to him. She kept repeating, "Is he going to be alright?" but no one responded, except for one woman who held her back.

She spoke with authority, "Don't get in our way, or he won't be alright."

Sonny hung her head and stepped back, making her way to the hospital entrance. She stood in the lobby as the stretcher was wheeled to the emergency room.

After they passed, she started to race after them, but the receptionist stopped her. "Are you a family member, miss?"

Sonny started, "No, but-"

"Then you'll have to stay here. No one else is allowed back there."

Sonny stiffly sat down in one of the brown fabric chairs and anxiously twiddled her thumbs. What was going to happen to Chad? A few nerve-wracking minutes later, she heard concerned voices down the hall, slightly raised.

Sonny hurried over to the front desk again, "You don't understand- I have to go see him!" The receptionist simply shook her head. Sonny raised her voice, "I'm serious! I must!"

A nurse began to stride over to where they were arguing, and she spoke firmly to Sonny, "Is there a problem, ma'am?"

Sonny silently pleaded with her eyes as she begged the nurse, "I need to see Chad! Please, I need to!"

The nurse asked, "Why is it so important that you see him? He's in good hands here."

Sonny's voice faded to a whisper, "Because I love him."

The nurse's eyes softened as she understood, "Why don't you come with me, miss."

Sonny nodded quickly in gratitude and followed her to the back of the hospital. Sonny rapidly paced to the room Chad was in, fearing the worst. She let out a breath of relief when she heard the heart machine beating slowly, but steadily.

Chad had wires attached to him everywhere, and his broken body looked frail on the pale white hospital bed. His hair was a mess, and dirt and grime covered his unconscious form. And there was blood, so much blood… Sonny had to catch her breath as the smell of it hit her nose.

She approached one of the other doctors in the room and choked out, "How much damage did he suffer?"

Without looking up from the reading on the machines, he replied, "Part of the bone in his leg is shattered, his arm is broken, and he has a major concussion."

One of his assistants piped up, "But, we do have a question for you. There were some bruises and fractured ribs- and they don't seem to be caused by getting hit with a car…"

Panic flared up in Sonny's eyes as that registered in her brain, and she fought to keep her expression calm. They couldn't find out about Chad's abuse! Then he'd have a true reason to hate her… "He fell down a flight of stairs just recently," she said brusquely, "He didn't have time to get his injuries look at before…before the accident."

The nurse raised a skeptic eyebrow, but she didn't comment. Then she spoke, "The best thing to do for now is to let him rest, so we'll leave you two alone for a short while."

Sonny nodded her thanks, and the adults left the room. She pulled up a chair to the side of Chad's figure and gazed at him. She wordlessly thanked the universe that he was still here with her, even if he was close to death. Sonny knew that he wouldn't be able to hear her, but she wanted to talk to him anyway.

She began, "Chad… I'm so sorry. All of this is my fault. I shouldn't have been so scared to admit to Tawni that I was helping you because I love you. I should have stopped you from running away, and tried harder to make you understand the truth. Even if you never talk to me again, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. My heart hurts to look at you now, because I know that I'm to blame. I just wanted to help you, but I ended up making things worse. Please, Chad, accept my apology. You mean the world to me, and I want you to know that. I love you."

Sonny's voice cracked halfway through spilling her guts out to the blue-eyed boy on the hospital bed. She could barely choke out the last part, but she needed to tell him what had been weighing on her heart, and what she feared would drive her insane. After a moment, when she realized with a jolt that he wasn't able to respond, she sighed in defeat. If- no, when!- he woke up, she would be able to tell him.

Sonny spoke with a new resolve in her voice, "I'm not leaving you Chad. Whenever you wake up, I'll be here waiting for you."

**1 Hour Later…**

Sonny shook herself back to reality. She had been zoning in and out of drowsiness, and had almost fallen asleep. She couldn't allow that to happen- not with Chad in the state he was in. Then, a frown appeared on her face. The room hadn't always been this quiet, had it?

Her train of thought was cut short by one long 'BEEEEEP' from the heart machine.

Sonny yelled for help, but the doctor's rushed into the room before she even finished her cry. One man gently, but quickly, pushed Sonny back from Chad's side, to Sonny's dismay. She tried to see over the adults' shoulders, but to no avail. Finally, she stepped back, quietly praying for Chad's life.

She couldn't see what was happening, but she thought she heard someone yell, "Clear!" Her heart began to speed up, until her air was coming in ragged breaths. 'Not again!' she thought in her mind. She couldn't be so close to losing him again!

Sonny looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulders. Kind eyes and a wrinkled face looked down on her. Sonny's heart flipped when she saw the doctor's expression.

"I'm sorry, miss… but there's no more that we can do."

Then her heart broke in two.

"No."

The grown-ups made a gap in the circle around Chad's dying body so Sonny could come to his side. Sonny clutched her aching chest as she fell to her knees.

She screamed, "No! NOOOO!!!! Chad, please don't leave me!!" Tears burst from her reddening eyes as she cried out, "Don't leave me! I love you! Chad, I love you! You can't go!"

For a second, the blonde heartthrob opened his sapphire eyes, which were glazing over, "Sonny…" but then they peacefully closed.

Sonny felt her soul dying inside as the love of her life slowly…faded…..away……

"Chad…" she whispered, "Don't…leave…me…"

And then she crashed to the floor.

~~*~~

**Author's Note: Wowzers… we ARE evil! Aren't we, Mikki? Mikki: Totally! Lolz. Kaori: Hee hee! Well, REVIEW! That way the next chapter will be up sooner! ;) Thanks to ALL of our reviewers- we weren't able to keep up with you guys this chapter, but thank you SO MUCH! Your reviews mean the world to us- Channy 4ever! :D**

**~Kaori & Mikki ~**


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